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You fhall not in your funeral speech blame us,
But fpeak all good you can devife of Cæfar;
And fay, you do't by our permiflion:
Elfe fhall you not have any hand at all
About his funeral.. And you fhall speak
In the fame Pulpit whereto I am going,
After my speech is ended.

Ant. Be it fo;

I do defire no more.

Bru. Prepare the body then, and follow us.

Manet Antony.

[Exeunt Confpirators.

Ant. O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth! That I am meek and gentle with thefe butchers. Thou art the ruins of the noblest man,

That ever lived in the tide of times.

Woe to the hand, that shed this coftly blood!
Over thy wounds now do I prophefie,
(Which, like dumb mouths, do ope their ruby lips,
To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue)
A curfe fhall light upon the limbs of men;
Domeftick fury, and fierce civil ftrife,
Shall cumber all the parts of Italy;
Blood and deftruction fhall be fo in use,
And dreadful objects fo familiar,

That mothers fhall but fmile, when they behold
Their infants quarter'd by the hands of war:
All pity choak'd with custom of fell deeds;
And Cafar's fpirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his fide come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a Monarch's voice,
Cry Havock, and let flip the Dogs of war;
That this foul deed fhall fmell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Enter Octavius's Servant.

You ferve Octavius Cæfar, do you not?
Ser. I do, Mark Antony.

Ant. Cæfar did write for him to come to Rome.

Ser.

Ser. He did receive his letters, and is coming; And bid me fay to you by word of mouth

O Cæfar!

[Seeing the Body. Ant. Thy heart is big, get thee apart and weep; Paffion I fee is catching; for mine eyes,

Seeing those Beads of forrow stand in thine,
Began to water. Is thy mafter coming?

Ser. He lyes to night within feven leagues of Rome. Ant. Poft back with speed, and tell him what hath chanc'd.

Here is a mourning Rome, a dangerous Rome,
No Rome of fafety for Octavius yet;

Hie hence, and tell him fo. Yet stay a while;
Thou shalt not back, 'till I have borne this corfe
Into the market-place: there fhall I try
In my Oration, how the people take
The cruel iffue of these bloody men;
Acording to the which, thou fhalt discourse
To young Octavius of the state of things.
Lend me your hand.

[Exeunt with Cæfar's body.

SCENE changes to the Forum.

Enter Brutus, and mounts the Roftra; Caffius, with the

Pleb.

Plebeians.

E will be fatisfied; let us be fatisfied.

WE

ence,

Bru. Then follow me, and give me audifriends.

Caffius, go you into the other street,

And part the numbers:

Thofe, that will hear me speak, let 'em stay here;
Thofe, that will follow Caffius, go with him;

And publick reafons fhall be rendered

Of Cafar's death.

1 Pleb. I will hear Brutus speak.

2 Pleb. I will hear Caffius, and compare their reasons,

When fev'rally we hear them rendered.

[Exit Caffius, with fome of the Plebeians

3 Pleb. The noble Brutus is afcended: filence!

Bru. Be patient 'till the last.

Romans,

Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers! hear me for my caufe; and be filent, that you may hear. Believe me for mine honour, and have refpect to mine honour, that you may believe. Cenfure me in your wisdom, and awake your fenfes, that you may the better judge. If there be any in this affembly, any dear friend of Cafar's, to him I fay, that Brutus's love to Cæfar was no less than his. If then that friend demand, why Brutus rofe against Cefar, this is my Anfwer: Not that I lov'd Cafar lefs, but that I lov'd Rome more. Had you rather Cafar were living, and dye all flaves; than that Cæfar were dead, to live all free-men? As Cafar lov'd me, I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honour him; but as he was ambitious, I flew him. There are tears for his love, joy for his fortune, honour for his valour, and death for his ambition. Who's here fo bafe, that would be a bond-man? if any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo rude, that would not be a Roman? if any, fpeak; for him have I offended. Who is here fo vile, that will not love his Country? if any, fpeak; for him have I offended- I pause for a

Reply

All. None, Brutus, none.

-I have done no

Bru. Then none have I offended.more to Cafar, than you fhall do to Brutus. The queftion of his death is inroll'd in the Capitol; his glory not extenuated, wherein he was worthy; nor his offences enforc'd, for which he fuffered death.

Enter Mark Antony with Cæfar's body.

Here comes his body, mourn'd by Mark Antony; who, though he had no hand in his death, fhall receive the benefit of his dying, a place in the Commonwealth; as which of you fhall not? With this I depart, that as I flew my best lover for the good of Rome; I have the fame dagger for myself, when it shall please my Country to need my death.

All. Live, Brutus, live! live!

1 Pleb. Bring him with triumph home unto his house. VOL. VII.

C

2 Pleb.

2 Pleb. Give him a ftatue with his Ancestors. 3 Pleb. Let him be Gafar. 4 Pleb. Cafar's better Parts Shall be crown'd in Brutus.

1 Pleb. We'll bring him to his house With fhouts and clamours.

Bru. My Countrymen

2 Pleb. Peace! filence! Brutus fpeaks. i Pleb. Peace, ho!

Bru. Good Countrymen, let me depart alone,
And, for my fake, stay here with Antony;

Do grace to Cefar's corps, and grace his fpeech
Tending to Cefar's Glories; which Mark Antony
By our permiffion is allow'd to make.

I do intreat you, not a man depart,
Save I alone, till Antony have spoke.

1 Pleb. Stay, ho, and let us hear Mark Antony. 3 Pleb. Let him go up into the publick Chair, We'll hear him: noble Antony, go up.

Ant. For Brutus' fake, I am beholden to you. 4 Pleb. What does he fay of Brutus ?

3 Pleb. He fays, for Brutus' fake

He finds himself beholden to us all.

4

[Exit.

Pleb. 'Twere beft he speak no harm of Brutus here.
Pleb. This Cafar was a Tyrant.

3 Pleb. Nay, that's certain;

We are bleft, that Rome is rid of him.

2 Pleb. Peace; let us hear what Antony can fay.

Ant. You gentle Romans

-

All. Peace, ho, let us hear him.

Ant. Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your

ears;

I come to bury Cafar, not to praise him.
The Evil, that men do, lives after them;
The Good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Cæfar! noble Brutus
Hath told you, Cæfar was ambitious;
If it were fo, it was a grievous fault;
And grievously hath Cæfar anfwer'd it.
Here, under leave of Brutus, and the rest,

(For

(For Brutus is an honourable man,
So are they all, all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Cafar's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me ;
But Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whofe ranfoms did the general coffers fill;
Did this in Cafar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cry'd, Cefar hath wept
Ambition fhould be made of fterner stuff.
Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious ;`
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did fee, that, on the Lupercal,
I thrice prefented him a kingly crown;
Which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?

Yet Brutus fays, he was ambitious;
And, fure, he is an honourable man.
I fpeak not, to difprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without caufe:
What caufe with-holds you then to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have loft their reason-bear with me,
My heart is in the coffin there with Cafar,
And I must paufe 'till it come back to me.

1 Pleb. Methinks, there is much reafon in his fayings. If thou confider rightly of the matter,

Cafar has had great wrong.

3 Pleb. Has he, Mafters? I fear there will a worse come in his place.

4 Pleb. Mark'd ye his words? he would not take the

crown;

Therefore, 'tis certain, he was not ambitious.

1 Pleb. If it be found fo, fome will dear abide it.
2 Pleb. Poor foul! his eyes are red as fire with
weeping.

3 Pleb. There's not a nobler man in Rome than Antony.
4 Pleb. Now, mark him, he begins to speak.
Ant. But yesterday the word of Cafar might

C 2

Have

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